Our Blog:Sharing new thoughts on aging.

July 2012

As you age, it’s not uncommon for chronic health issues to appear. While any type of chronic illness can be upsetting and feel daunting—it doesn’t need to be. Diseases such as Type II diabetes are manageable at any age. As physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife, I counsel our residents and patients all the time on some of the best ways to control their diabetes.

When I first came to work at NewBridge on the Charles, it was a construction site, evolving every day. I just couldn’t imagine how we would meet the challenges of creating a state-of-the-art senior living option as I walked through the unfinished buildings in a hard hat.

There are plenty of genetic traits that we can thank our parents for—could weak bones be one of them?

My fellow researchers at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife (IFAR) believe they’ve discovered links between 56 different genetics variants and subsequent bone loss.

After examining a wide scope of osteoporosis studies as part of the largest analysis of genome-studies ever conducted, our researchers were able to pinpoint 56 different genetic variants that negatively affect bone mineral density (BMD).

Among hospitalized Alzheimer’s patients, a substantial proportion of risk for adverse outcomes could be attributed to delirium, including 6.2 percent of deaths, 15.2 percent of institutionalization, and 20.6 percent of cognitive decline. This information, yielded from a study recently conducted by the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), confirms that for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the combination of a hospital stay and delirium can pose increased risks.

Summer is a great season for enjoying all that the outdoors has to offer with family and friends. But with time spent outdoors, comes the risk of some health hazards. Older bodies especially are less efficient at staying cool than younger ones, so seniors need to take a few extra summertime precautions.

My colleagues and I put together some tips to follow this season to ensure your summer is cool in all senses of the word.

Twenty years ago, if a 70-year-old man visited the emergency room after falling, he would be said to have fallen accidentally. He might have been treated for a broken bone and sent home. We’re now realizing that the things we used to blame on aging, like falling, actually have an underlying reason and a cause – an understanding that motivates everything we do at the Institute for Aging Research.

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